Posts Tagged ‘Latvia’
Danish retailer Salling overtakes Baltic chain
Denmark’s largest retailer will purchase Rimi, a Baltic retail chain, Salling Group and ICA Gruppen, the chain’s current owner, announced today. The deal makes Salling one of the largest supermarket operators in the Baltic region.
According to ICA Gruppen, the value of Rimi’s retail business in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is around €1.3 billion.
Salling will take over €500 million of Rimi Baltic’s debt, which is mainly made up of lease liabilities. The transaction will increase the company’s capital by €630 million and generate cash inflows of €810 million.
Salling said the acquisition of Rimi is the largest transaction its history. It will now own 2,100 supermarkets in the Baltic states, Denmark, Germany and Poland.
Read MoreLatvia accredits its first professional continuing education programme in cybersecurity
In response to growing cybersecurity challenges, Latvia has accredited its first professional continuing education programme in cybersecurity—the Cybersecurity Technician programme, which is available at the European Distance Learning Centre. The programme seeks to train qualified cybersecurity technicians capable of ensuring the security of an organisation’s IT systems and data, identifying and responding to cybersecurity threats, and implementing preventive measures to protect IT environments.
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Originally published on 5 Mar
Read MoreRiga to invest EUR 170,000 in an accelerator and incubator support programme
Until March 16, the Riga City Municipality is accepting applications for the Riga Startup Accelerator and Incubator Support Programme. The programme aims to foster the growth of the startup sector in Riga by providing co-financing for business incubation and acceleration programmes. The budget for this programme in 2025 is EUR 170,000, with up to EUR 40,000 in co-financing available per applicant.
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Originally published on 4 Mar
Read MoreArtis Grinbergs new chair of Latvian railways
Artis Grinbergs has been appointed chairman of Latvijas Dzelzceļš (LDz), the Latvian state railway.
Prior to starting in his new role, Artis was chair of Pasažieru Vilciens, a transport firm, and deputy-chair of Sakret Holdings, a maker of building materials.
He has previously served on the board of the Freeport of Riga and held other senior positions in private and public sectors.
Artis holds master’s in management from the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics of the University of Latvia, and is pursuing his doctoral studies in business administration at BA School of Business and Finance.
Connect with Artis on LinkedIn
Read MoreSilent animated film lands Latvia its first Oscar
A wordless animated film from Latvia made using open-source software beat out some of the biggest names in Hollywood on Sunday, as the county won it first-ever Oscar, drawing attention to its film industry.
Flow, made using Blender, a free graphics software tool, cost $3.4 million (€3.2 million) to produce. The favourite to win as best animated feature during the 97th Academy Awards, was The Wild Robot, produced by the Dreamworks studio and costing $78 million to make.
The film is described as a parable that uses the story of a black cat, a dog, a capybara, a ring-tailed lemur and a secretary bird trying to survive a catastrophic flood to show how humans can overcome their differences and work together.
The film is the second second animated film directed by Gints Zilbalodis, but with Flow, he appears to have hit his artistic stride.
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“I think you can express a lot more without words. Some of these emotions and ideas I couldn’t articulate with words but with music, sound, movement and editing, I can say a lot more,” he said. “Those are my favourite kinds of films and favourite scenes and are very cinematic and transcend cultural boundaries.”
The Estonian Defence Industry Cluster today introduced the Baltic Drone Wall concept for the first time
The Estonian Defence Industry Cluster today introduced the Baltic Drone Wall concept for the first time, which aims to strengthen the eastern border of the European Union and NATO. It is a cooperation initiative between Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which is currently joined by DefSecIntel Solutions, Rantelon, Marduk Technologies, Lendurai, Hevi Optronics, Frankenburg Technologies and TELEKONTA.
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Originally published on 28 Feb
Read MoreIgnitis ON network to install 500 charging points with the help of EUR 16 million EU financial support
In the coming years Ignitis ON, the leading EV fast-charging network, will become even larger and more convenient for EV drivers. The European Union (EU) made a decision to allocate EUR 16 million for the charging network’s expansion. The grant will help fund the installation of 500 new charging points. It is the largest-ever allocated sum to a charging network operator in the Baltics.
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Originally published on 27 Feb
Read MoreRestoring Mobility Opportunities in the Border Region: The ROCC Project Takes the Next Step
In the Estonian-Latvian border region, public transport services that once provided convenient travel options for residents of both countries have been absent for several decades. The ROCC project, supported by the Interreg Estonia-Latvia Programme 2021-2027, is now approaching a significant milestone—the launch of two pilot bus routes. The Valga-Valka and Ikla-Ainaži (Salacgrīva) bus lines are expected to begin operating in the spring of 2025, offering new mobility opportunities for border residents and travelers alike.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
Read MoreModular unmanned ground platforms created in Latvia start operating in Ukraine
A new solution has emerged in Latvia’s defence technology sector: the unmanned ground platform developed by the Latvian startup Natrix is a universal, modular solution that can be adapted for various applications. Currently, the Natrix platform’s primary tasks are delivering ammunition and food to the frontline and on the return journey evacuating the wounded and deceased, thus significantly reducing the risk of casualties for rescuers who previously had to evacuate the injured manually.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
Read MoreFrom Tallinn to Warsaw: Rail Baltica’s progress in Poland strengthens high-speed connectivity across Europe
In the Rail Baltica project, envisioned as a seamless corridor stretching from Warsaw to Tallinn, Poland plays a crucial role as a strategic partner, serving as the gateway connecting Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with the broader European rail network. While work on Rail Baltica has been progressing in all three Baltic countries, with 43% of the mainline expected to be construction-ready and actively under development by the end of this year, the Polish section has also experienced continuous development for several years.
Rail Baltica team recently conducted a visit to Poland to assess modernization efforts and observe the progress of the railway line that will connect Poland to the Lithuanian border.
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Originally published on 24 Feb
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